Insurance claims village draws steady traffic in Brunswick

Sept. 18--BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- The largest insurance companies were under canopies in Brunswick and Kingsland on Monday helping victims of Tropical Storm Irma begin the insurance claims process.

Not every insurance company that does business in Georgia came to the two claims villages -- at Home Depot in Brunswick and the county recreation center in Kingsland -- but Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence said, "We've got the big ones."

As of Friday, about 50,000 claims were filed statewide, Florence said.

"We expect that number to get bigger," he said. "We had a storm come through the state of Georgia that was bigger than Georgia."

Most claims will likely come from inland counties stretching to the mountains where Irma's winds toppled trees onto power lines, homes, businesses and vehicles, he said.

"The coastal damage is more acute," because of the storm surge, he said. "Obviously, a lot of people who have flood damage will have to work through the process."

That includes Harry and Taressa Lariscy whose home on three acres plus between U.S. 17 and the marsh was flooded up to four feet deep.

Asked what he had lost, Harry Lariscy said, "Everything but the roof. We lost everything, personal papers, everything."

He said they had stayed up all night Sunday [Sept. 10] "dipping water and mopping water," and were keeping up with the flood until Monday morning.

"About 10:30 in the morning, the bad boy came in," he said. "Two foot waves were lapping against the side of the house. Two freezers and a refrigerator in the garage, all floated."

Taressa Lariscy said they had put her computer on top of the washer so it would be safe. They heard a crash, and it was the sound of the washer floating and tilting dropping the computer in three feet of water.

The Lariscys came to the claims village looking to start action on their second flood insurance claim in less than a year. Hurricane Matthew also flooded their house with six inches of water.

They were given a number to call to get things started or, if they had a working computer, they could start the process on line.

Back home, decks are scattered around their grounds, their furniture is molding and the door of every cabinet and closet was open to let things dry. The freezers and refrigerators were on their sides where they had settled when the water drained away. High water marks were at least thigh high on their house and every shed and outbuilding.

Justin Tomczak of State Farm said the company already received about 10,500 claims Friday, much of it tree and limb damage.

"By comparison, Florida is around 30,000. Obviously, they've got it worse," he said.

Tomczak said the company was in the claims village to answer anyone's questions, and that the inquiries and claims have been steady.

Up the row, Allstate had its big claims response vehicle set up with five adjusters and a claims manager working.

There was a big screen TV outside that people could watch as they waited, but sometimes people need more than to get a claim started or a simple distraction, said Jose Solsol Jr., a senior claims adjuster.

Solsol pulled a telephone handset from the wall that is hooked up to a satellite phone.

"If there's no power, you can call anywhere in the world from here," he said, and that lets customers call family members far and wide.

Communications Manager Adam Polok said the company also loaned iPads in Houston so Hurricane Harvey's victims could contact their families.

"They can check in with Facebook, they can shoot a text, whatever they need to do," he said.

When clients come with small children, they give them small teddy bears.

"After the storm, this could be the only toy they have," Solsol said.

The claims village in Brunswick will be open again Tuesday. It will move Wednesday and Thursday to the Home Depot at 11180 Abercorn Street in Savannah.

Terry Dickson: (912) 264-0405

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